Police officer seriously injured after sword attack in Manchester

Brave unarmed police officers tackle a man armed with a sword, two of them are slashed with the sword across the face, ears and forehead.

One of those police officer has been left with “serious injuries” after being slashed with a sword in Manchester on Sunday.

https://twitter.com/mikepannett/status/977935713948889088?s=21

Greater Manchester Police have confirmed they have arrested 23 year-old-man after a number of officers were slashed with a sword in Whalley Range at about 1.50pm,

Dramatic footage has emerged of a man with a sword attacking two police officers, seriously injuring one of them, in Manchester's Whalley Range earlier this afternoon. 23-year-old man under arrest after suspect was tasered and disarmed. pic.twitter.com/LGtINuV9qk

Police have said that the police officer is in hospital with what is described as serious injuries.

A number of roads around Demesne Road, the residential street where the incident happened, have been closed off.

Footage of the incident showed two police vans and a car blocking Demesne Road as officers get out of the vans, some with riot shields.

A man can be seen running down from a terraced house and the officers can be seen backing off as one points a stun gun at him.

They get the man on the ground on his back.

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins of Greater Manchester Police posted a tweet that read Outstanding bravery from @gmpolice officers this afternoon. Putting themselves in extreme danger to protect the public. Very privileged to be the Chief of a Force that has such courageous & selfless officers.

Outstanding bravery from @gmpolice officers this afternoon. Putting themselves in extreme danger to protect the public. Very privileged to be the Chief of a Force that has such courageous & selfless officers. https://t.co/x2FPm5N29X

Sajid Javid speech was received with warmth as he promised to prioritise police spending as he offered an olive branch to rank-and-file officers.

Mr Javid was welcomed to the Police Fed conference and received support from the front line cops following Amber Rudds poor reception last year over budget cuts and staffing reductions.

This was a testing first speech the Home Secretary who wanted to try and draw a line under the era of running battles between the Government and the police.

Following mounting pressures faced by officers faced with policing cuts.

As of September there were 121,929 officers across the 43 territorial forces in England and Wales – a fall of nearly 20,000 compared with a decade earlier.

A pleasure to speak to @PFEW_HQ about how I will approach policing, and hear concerns from the frontline with crime. I will give you the tools, powers and back-up you need to do the job #polfed18pic.twitter.com/xS85Rtotaf

Referring to stop and search, he told the Police Federation of England and Wales’ (PFEW) annual conference in Birmingham: “Some of you don’t feel comfortable using it – and that’s not how it should be.

“I have confidence in your professional judgment. So let me be clear – I support the use of stop and search.

“You have to do your job and that means protecting everyone.”

He said evidence shows that black people are more likely to be a homicide victim than any other ethnic group.

“If stop and search can mean saving lives from the communities most affected, then of course that has to be right,” Mr Javid said.

Following a spate of violence across London and the UK there has been a sharp reduction in stop and search activity , with use of the powers at the lowest level.

Cops faced heavy criticism after they were accused of unfairly focusing on black and minority ethnic individuals.

Theresa May introduced measures in 2014 to ensure stop and search could not be used in this way.

Mr Javid acknowledged that police officers have an increased demand saying “I’m not arrogant enough to turn up here after three weeks in the job and tell you how to do yours,”

Mr Javid added that the government have had to make difficult decisions since 2010 and that he does not have a magic wand to fund everything needed but he said he was “listening and i do get it”.

“We need to think more about the long-term funding of policing.

“I will priorities police funding in the Spending Review next year.”

He said that, including funds raised through council tax, more than £1 billion extra cash is being invested in policing now than three years ago.

Addressing the fact that he had not spent much time in the role, he said that while the position of Home Secretary was his fifth in Government, he had seen the issues involved in policing and worked with the service during his other roles.

He continued that it was “not all about funding” and the Government needed to do more to “protect the protectors”, such as tougher penalties for those who attack emergency services workers, changing the laws on police pursuits, and updating their kit.

Mr Javid pledged to provide “tools, the powers and the back-up that you need to get the job done…

“For those of you who stand on the front line, be in no doubt that I will be standing with you.”

Is @sajidjavid the first guy in the @ukhomeoffice that truly knows and understands policing? His brother is a cop. There is blue blood in the family.